As we approach the end of the year, I’m wrapping up a few projects that have been “in progress” for a while. Most of the work is done, it’s just a question of checking everything works, makes sense, dotting the “i”s and crossing the “t”s.
This is not my favourite part.
Having new ideas? SO much fun. Starting to work on new ideas, with their endless possibilities and potential? I’m here for it. Making sure that the idea is proofread, all the links work, automations function properly, and it’s at least somewhat polished? 😴 Being at that point with multiple projects all at the same time? 💀 💀 💀
This part of the process requires what author Joanna Penn refers to as “finishing energy” — the drive that gets you through the last 10% of a project. Finishing energy can be tricky because it’s a different kind of energy to creative energy. It’s less about coming up with shiny new ideas, and more about making sure those shiny new ideas make sense, function as they should, and are presentable.
This is where it’s useful to be aware of the different kinds of energy required for a creative cycle and where we individually tend to dip (or crash) out:
Starting energy: This is the easiest part for most of us (although some of us will also get stuck in the ideation stage and never take action). We are full of ideas, things feel exciting, and we’re exploring, brainstorming and “what if”-ing the heck out of our new shiny project. Nothing can stop us!
Pushing through energy: Difficulties and problems start to show themselves. Things don’t feel quite as shiny as they initially seemed. Doubt creeps in. There’s still a long way to go, and the way forwards is not looking as smooth or as obvious as we thought it would be initially.
Finishing energy: We’re so close! But also so far. Much left to do, and most of it quite fiddly and uninteresting. We just have to get through the final to-do list so we can get this thing out into the world.
How to generate some good finishing energy
For me, finishing energy is the hardest part of the process. I like coming up with new ideas, I like solving problems (most of the time). I don’t like doing lots of clicking, fiddling, and faffing. During those times when I need to muster up some finishing energy (and ignore the siren song of the next new and shiny project), here are some things I find helpful:
Make a list and get it all out of your head: I get overwhelmed when there are lots of moving parts to a project and I’m not clear on what exactly they are. Making a list always helps and gives me a roadmap for where to start working towards the finish line.
Set a deadline: This might sound obvious, but if it’s a project for which you’re not accountable to anyone else, it is extremely easy for that project to languish for weeks, months, even years, with no meaningful progress. Which is a shame if you’ve come this far! Set a deadline and stick to it. I am even doing that with this blog post: I currently have 20 minutes to finish and edit before I have to stop.
Gamify the boring stuff: I find it much easier to get through a set of mundane tasks when I set myself little challenges, like “How many of these links can I add in the next 15 minutes?!” Or “It’s 11.58; I bet I can finish this page by 12.00.” Yes, it’s silly, yes, it’s just a competition with myself, but if it gets the job done and keeps me semi-sane, I call that a win.
Decide what “good enough” looks like: It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be good enough. Decide what that looks like now, and resist the urge to keep tinkering with diminishing returns.
Give yourself a reward: Choose something you enjoy now and commit to doing it when this is complete.
…or try “temptation bundling”: This is a behavioural strategy that involves pairing something you enjoy with something you don’t, and using the former as a motivator. The key is you only do or get the thing you enjoy while you’re doing the thing you don’t—not at any other time. So you might create a project-specific finishing playlist of your favourite music that you only listen to while working on it. You might make a specific drink or snack you enjoy, and you only have it while you’re finishing up your to-do list. It’s a simple way of making hard or boring things more fun, and there is some research to support it (although the researchers found the effect faded over time, so it might be helpful to switch it up every now and again!)
Remember that finishing is an amazing step of any creative project: you get a whole new level of learning and growth from completing something than you do from abandoning it just before the end is in sight.
Over to you: what kind of energy feels hardest for you? And what helps get you over the line?
Keep going, you’ve got this!